Chapter 71 Equal

Chapter 71 Equal
Third-Person Point of View

“I declare tonight marks the reckoning. The final stand against those who would use darkness and greed to destroy everything we protect!” Coriander proclaimed fiercely, as golden light poured forth from the scar on her collarbone—the very same mark late Queen Myra had left there years ago.

The instant that light burst through, it felt as though all the air had been sucked right out of King Mavros’ throat.

“Damn it, Mavros! Am I seeing this correctly? Is that Nico and Imus?!” Graveon suddenly exclaimed inside King Mavros’ mind.

King Mavros frowned, but he did not let his focus waver from the woman standing before them.

“Who the hell are they?” he demanded.

“They are the first and only two‑headed wolves in the entire history of werewolves and lycans, you fool! They are not some curse or abnormality, they were deliberately created by the Moon Goddess herself as a reward for Lord Nicodemus’s boundless kindness!” Graveon explained.

Mavros glanced quickly toward the space behind Coriander, where the two massive, two‑headed wolves loomed, formed entirely of mist. Even though they were not made of flesh and blood, everyone in that garden could feel their overwhelming presence—an aura unlike anything King Mavros had ever encountered in his entire life.

So this is what Gamma Fengk saw back then? Now it all made sense why he had been so utterly afraid of Coriander all that time.

She was far more than just the woman the King loved, more than just the one he had believed had walked away from him. She was the formidable, powerful leader she had grown into.

Meanwhile, Mivron could not tear his eyes away from Coriander. She now bore an even stronger resemblance to Bridgette, her features sharpened by maturity and by the experience of carrying and giving birth to Elo.

“Call forth all three of your wolves if you want, Coriander! You will never stop me! I did not waste five long years of waiting just to fail on this very day!” Elder Mara shrieked.

Without warning, she thrust both hands forward, and a searing wave of poisonous violet energy shot straight toward Coriander and King Mavros.

Coriander did not blink. She did not move an inch from where she stood. The deadly power slammed into the ground right before her feet, exploding outward, but even as dust and debris swirled around her, she remained perfectly still.

“Damn it!” King Mavros swore sharply, already moving to step in front of her, ready to shield Coriander with his own body from any further impact—only for Coriander to raise one hand without even glancing back at him.

“Stay back. This is my magic to command,” she said with her tone cold.

Mavros’s jaw tightened. It drove home the truth more than ever: Coriander had grown far stronger than he had ever known, and she no longer needed his protection. Yet even so, a quiet pride swelled in his chest. She had finally achieved what she had always dreamed of, and it was to know her own worth and to stand on her own strength. The woman standing before him now was entirely her own person, forged into something new.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Obsidian Fang Hall, Luka and his team were fully occupied guiding the remaining guests out to safety, ensuring no one would get caught in the escalating clash between Coriander and Elder Mara.

“Please walk carefully! Do not push or crowd one another. We will make sure every single one of you gets out safely,” Huwan announced as he guided the stream of guests toward the exit of Obsidian Fang Hall.

“Luka, where is Cori already? We really need to leave now,” Theresa said, her voice thick with restlessness and deep worry for her best friend.

Luka glanced toward the direction where powerful surges of energy were rippling through the air, beyond the hall’s thick stone walls. To be honest, he had been itching to rush straight to Coriander’s side ever since Pip’s voice first echoed in his mind—but he could not simply abandon these people. He knew too well how dangerous prolonged exposure to clashing magic could be for ordinary folk.

“I can assure you, Miss Theresa, she is more than capable of handling herself right now,” Luka said gently but firmly, doing his best to soothe her fears. “The best thing you can do for her is to make your way to the safe zone with everyone else. I promise you, Lady Coriander would be furious if anything happened to you or any of the guests while she faces the threat outside. Let us not give her one more thing to worry about when she already carries so much.”

Arthur stepped forward then and placed a steady, comforting hand on Luka’s shoulder, his expression serious yet respectful. “Thank you, Luka. We trust you with our lives. Please be careful out there. We will wait for news of you both, and we will not leave the nearby safe grounds until we know everything is settled.”

Luka gave him a determined nod, resting his hand briefly over his chest in a gesture of loyalty and assurance. “You have my word. I will stand by her side, and I will keep you all informed the moment I can. You can count on that.”

“But honey—”

“Honey, let’s go,” Arthur cut in softly to his wife. “It is far too dangerous to linger here. We have our sons waiting for us to come home safe and sound—we owe it to them to stay alive and stay out of harm’s way. And you must trust your friend. If anyone can get through this, it is Coriander. You told me yourself she has faced far worse and come out stronger every time. Let her do what she must, and let us do our part by staying safe so she does not have to fear for us too.”

As soon as the last guest had passed through the heavy doors and the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance, Luka turned to Huwan, Rui, and Jonas, who had stayed behind with him.

“Secure every entrance and seal off this entire wing,” Luka ordered firmly. “No one gets in or out unless I give the word. We cannot risk stray magic or energy waves reaching the main roads or nearby villages.”

“Understood,” Jonas replied immediately, already moving to relay the command to the others.

Luka did not waste another second. Without looking back, he broke into a fast run, his shoes clicking sharply against the polished marble floors before he stepped out into the open hallway leading straight to the garden.

“Shit… don’t let yourself lose control, Lady Cori…” Luka whispered quietly to himself, beads of cold sweat already trickling down his forehead.

King Mavros finally felt a heavy weight lift from his chest as he watched the golden light flowing from Coriander’s hands meet and wash away the violet smoke Elder Mara had unleashed. There was nothing more he could do but stand back and watch, placing his full trust in his Queen—for this kind of magic was beyond anything he had ever wielded or understood.

“Is that really Queen Coriander standing there right before our eyes?” Delta Gun whispered in disbelief, his gaze fixed on the woman they had not seen in five long years.

“It is… and she looks even more like Bridgette now,” Mivron murmured quietly.

Delta Gun fell silent, unable to find words to reply. Nearby, Gamma Fengk stood with a grave, wary expression, his eyes locked on the massive two‑headed wolf looming behind Coriander. Even after all these years, that same unexplained fear still stirred in his gut whenever he looked upon it.

Elder Mara stumbled back a step, her violet magic fraying and thinning where the golden light touched it. Her face twisted into a snarl of pure disbelief and rage.

“Impossible!” she shrieked. “That should have burned right through you! The Solar Sigil is supposed to be mine! Mine!”

She slammed both fists into the air, and the remaining smoke swirled into jagged, spear‑like shapes that shot toward them from every direction. But before they could get close, the golden barrier flared brighter, and Nico and Imus let out a deafening, two‑part roar that shook the very ground. Every shadow‑spear shattered into harmless dust before it could even graze Coriander’s gown.

Coriander took one slow, deliberate step forward. The scar on her collarbone blazed like a second sun, and her blood-red eyes locked onto Mara.

“You have spent five years feeding on stolen power,” she said. “But you never understood what this Sigil answers. It does not serve greed. It does not serve fear. It serves a purpose. And tonight, its purpose is to end you.”

King Mavros moved then. Not to fight in her place, but to stand shoulder to shoulder with her, his blue aura wrapping around her golden light like armor, strengthening it until the combined glow outshone the moon itself.

“Last chance, Mara,” he warned. “Surrender now, or be erased.”

Elder Mara laughed. “You think I came this far to run? I will drag this whole Obsidian Fang Hall down with me!”

She began to chant in a guttural, forgotten tongue, and the air grew cold, shadows stretching long and hungry around them.

Elder Mara was already gathering her strength to unleash another wave of violet power but everyone suddenly froze. A voice rang out clearly from the darkest edge of the garden, and a familiar figure stepped into the light, his hair glowing in a vivid shade of green.

“Stop right there, Mara. This isn’t your show to make…” he said while looking straight into King Mavros.